Hi Everyone - I've only been home-brewing for 6 months and this is my 4th all grain batch. My wife loves Saisons (so do I) so I've spent a little more time with this style - seems to be a forgiving style for someone new to the realm. I've done a Koslch, Tripel/Dubbel Hybrid, and a more traditional Saison. Anyways, I was inspired by Poobah's Stingy Jack recipe so I thought I better get started now and hear what some of you vets have to say about my recipe before I brew for next fall.
Also, if anyone has any experience drinking a commercially available pumpkin saison, I'd love to hear what you liked/didn't like about that - I've only found reviews on Trinity's Pumpkin Saison but haven't heard much on this unique take on Saison since. Thanks in advance!
Here it goes - My "All Hallows' Evening Saison" - Wyeast French Saison 3711 - 7.5 boil size, 5.5 gal batch, 90 min boil, used 3, 29 oz (87 oz or 5.44 lbs) cans of Libby's, roasted at 375F for an hour
OG 1.064
FG 1.000
ABV - 6.75%
IBU 26.8
SRM 11.94
Fermentables:
9lb - Belgian 2-row - 70.6%
.5lb - Belgian Biscuit - 3.9%
.75lb - Belgian Unmalted Wheat - 5.9%
.75lb - American White Wheat - 5.9%
.5lb - German Acidulated Malt - 3.9%
.5lb - Flaked Oats - 3.9%
.25 - UK Pale Chocolate - 2%
.5lbs - Home made Pumpkin Candi Sugar - Snick's DAP use in forming maillard reactions plus adding Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Vanilla in Green Mountain French Toast Coffee and adding cold steeped mix at cooldown before bringing to hard crack - this addition was key I think in flavor and aroma, but hey, what do I know - the taste in the green bottle is noticeable but soft - exactly what I was going for - 3.9%
Mash Steps
1 - Protein Rest - 8qt - 125F for 25 min
2 - Canned Pumpkin Addition 1 - 8 qt plus 29 oz roasted Libby's, 140F for 20 min
3 - Canned Pumpkin Addition 2 - 8 qt plus 29 oz roasted Libby's, 150F for 15 min
4 - Additional Rest - 4 qt, 150F for 30 min
5 - Fly Sparge 2 qts 170F water, Batch Sparge until reach desired clarity
Note: I ordered all my grains and additional ingredients before I read up on how rice hulls help however I didn't get stuck - I thought a larger amount of qts water/lb of grain would help with this
Boil
1 oz Hops - Willamette - 24 min
Canned Pumpkin Addition 3 - 29 oz roasted Libby's for 20 min
Wyeast Nutrient Blend Solution - 1/2 tsp in 4 oz water solution at 10 min
Homemade Pumpkin Candi Sugar - .5 lbs total - .17 lbs at 8, 6, 4 minute increments
1 oz Hops - Nugget - 5 min
Fermentation
3.5 weeks in primary at 70F.
Used 4.75 oz cane/turbinado sugar w 2 cups water solution in bottling bucket - 4 oz of cane to .75 oz of turbinado
Will aim for 3.5 weeks in bottle before I share with anyone other than the wife.
Notes:
I was shocked to hit the OG and shocked it got it down to 1.000 - I was concerned about it being too dry for incorporating pumpkin. Well, I'm only 9 days into bottling but I am very proud of how it is tasting thus far. You get the vegetal pumpkin and peppery 3711 saison in the nose, and the flavor is a soft pumpkin spice where the clove and vanilla stand out with just hints of cinnamon and nutmeg in the background. I wanted to aim for this being a "Oh yea, this is def a fall tasting beer" and not flat out "WOW, a lot of pumpkin in this one." The wife says it is as soft pumpkin pie like taste while still being able to notice it is a dry saison. We both think that without the pumpkin candi sugar I made we might only get the vegetal in the nose and nothing else other than saison character.
Questions/Remarks for my fellow enthusiasts:
Have anyone of you used both real sweet pumpkin and libby's canned and have notes to compare the tastes? I was surprised how vegetal Libby's was, almost like a soup-like tinge to the nose, so was glad I went with that instead of the pre-spiced mix - think I would have been playing dangerously close to being over spiced otherwise. I am game for trying real sweet pumpkin (not jack o lanterns) next time if you think it is remarkably better but for season's sake - couldn't get my hands on any for this trial run. Has anyone incorporated other spices or candi sugar, and is set on doing pumpkin in mash v. boil - seems like an ongoing debate, so I did 2/3 in mash and 1/3 in boil to kinda' split the difference. I know Saisons can have that haze to them, but was glad it came out as clear as it did considering the sediment I got from boiling 1/3 of it. My only complaint is that I'm not getting something "pie crusty" from the biscuit or malty from the pale chocolate - I used .25 lb special B in my first saison I did and it was a nice background character - might consider using Special B in the 2nd go around of this one. Lastly - any benefit to ramping up the temperature for a Pumpkin Saison other than wanting more Saison over the pumpkin - I didn't want to do this because I wanted balance or do you think ramping it up would have made pumpkin flavors more noticeable?
Also, if anyone has any experience drinking a commercially available pumpkin saison, I'd love to hear what you liked/didn't like about that - I've only found reviews on Trinity's Pumpkin Saison but haven't heard much on this unique take on Saison since. Thanks in advance!
Here it goes - My "All Hallows' Evening Saison" - Wyeast French Saison 3711 - 7.5 boil size, 5.5 gal batch, 90 min boil, used 3, 29 oz (87 oz or 5.44 lbs) cans of Libby's, roasted at 375F for an hour
OG 1.064
FG 1.000
ABV - 6.75%
IBU 26.8
SRM 11.94
Fermentables:
9lb - Belgian 2-row - 70.6%
.5lb - Belgian Biscuit - 3.9%
.75lb - Belgian Unmalted Wheat - 5.9%
.75lb - American White Wheat - 5.9%
.5lb - German Acidulated Malt - 3.9%
.5lb - Flaked Oats - 3.9%
.25 - UK Pale Chocolate - 2%
.5lbs - Home made Pumpkin Candi Sugar - Snick's DAP use in forming maillard reactions plus adding Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Vanilla in Green Mountain French Toast Coffee and adding cold steeped mix at cooldown before bringing to hard crack - this addition was key I think in flavor and aroma, but hey, what do I know - the taste in the green bottle is noticeable but soft - exactly what I was going for - 3.9%
Mash Steps
1 - Protein Rest - 8qt - 125F for 25 min
2 - Canned Pumpkin Addition 1 - 8 qt plus 29 oz roasted Libby's, 140F for 20 min
3 - Canned Pumpkin Addition 2 - 8 qt plus 29 oz roasted Libby's, 150F for 15 min
4 - Additional Rest - 4 qt, 150F for 30 min
5 - Fly Sparge 2 qts 170F water, Batch Sparge until reach desired clarity
Note: I ordered all my grains and additional ingredients before I read up on how rice hulls help however I didn't get stuck - I thought a larger amount of qts water/lb of grain would help with this
Boil
1 oz Hops - Willamette - 24 min
Canned Pumpkin Addition 3 - 29 oz roasted Libby's for 20 min
Wyeast Nutrient Blend Solution - 1/2 tsp in 4 oz water solution at 10 min
Homemade Pumpkin Candi Sugar - .5 lbs total - .17 lbs at 8, 6, 4 minute increments
1 oz Hops - Nugget - 5 min
Fermentation
3.5 weeks in primary at 70F.
Used 4.75 oz cane/turbinado sugar w 2 cups water solution in bottling bucket - 4 oz of cane to .75 oz of turbinado
Will aim for 3.5 weeks in bottle before I share with anyone other than the wife.
Notes:
I was shocked to hit the OG and shocked it got it down to 1.000 - I was concerned about it being too dry for incorporating pumpkin. Well, I'm only 9 days into bottling but I am very proud of how it is tasting thus far. You get the vegetal pumpkin and peppery 3711 saison in the nose, and the flavor is a soft pumpkin spice where the clove and vanilla stand out with just hints of cinnamon and nutmeg in the background. I wanted to aim for this being a "Oh yea, this is def a fall tasting beer" and not flat out "WOW, a lot of pumpkin in this one." The wife says it is as soft pumpkin pie like taste while still being able to notice it is a dry saison. We both think that without the pumpkin candi sugar I made we might only get the vegetal in the nose and nothing else other than saison character.
Questions/Remarks for my fellow enthusiasts:
Have anyone of you used both real sweet pumpkin and libby's canned and have notes to compare the tastes? I was surprised how vegetal Libby's was, almost like a soup-like tinge to the nose, so was glad I went with that instead of the pre-spiced mix - think I would have been playing dangerously close to being over spiced otherwise. I am game for trying real sweet pumpkin (not jack o lanterns) next time if you think it is remarkably better but for season's sake - couldn't get my hands on any for this trial run. Has anyone incorporated other spices or candi sugar, and is set on doing pumpkin in mash v. boil - seems like an ongoing debate, so I did 2/3 in mash and 1/3 in boil to kinda' split the difference. I know Saisons can have that haze to them, but was glad it came out as clear as it did considering the sediment I got from boiling 1/3 of it. My only complaint is that I'm not getting something "pie crusty" from the biscuit or malty from the pale chocolate - I used .25 lb special B in my first saison I did and it was a nice background character - might consider using Special B in the 2nd go around of this one. Lastly - any benefit to ramping up the temperature for a Pumpkin Saison other than wanting more Saison over the pumpkin - I didn't want to do this because I wanted balance or do you think ramping it up would have made pumpkin flavors more noticeable?